Apparatus for the lifting and the transport of heavy structures particularly suited for the assembly of metal bridges and similar structures



y 1968 EUGENIO DAL PONT 3,385,455

APPARATUS FOR THE LIFTING AND THE TRANSPORT OF HEAVY STRUCTURES PARTICULARLY SUITED FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF METAL BRIDGES AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES Filed June 10. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN'IOR EUGENIO DAL PONT yWKQQMMV/MQ AITORNEYS y 8. 1968 EUGENIO DAL PONT ,455

APPARATUS FOR THE LIFTING AND THE TRANSPORT 0F HEAVY STRUCTURES PARTICULARLY SUITED FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF METAL BRIDGES v AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES Filed June 10, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EUGENIO DAL- PONT ymymwgw ORNEYS y 8, 1968 EUGENIO DAL PONT Y 3,335,455

APPARA THE LIFTING AND THE TRANSPORT HEAV TRUCTURES P I u ARLY SUITED FOR THE ASSEMBLY o ETAL DGES AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES Filed June 10, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 y 8. 1968 Euezmo DAL PONT 3,385,455

' APPARATUS FOR THE LIFTING AND THE TRANSPORT 0F HEAVY STRUCTURES PARTICULARLY S'UITED FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF METAL BRIDGES AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES Filed June 10, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

INVENTOR EUGENIO DAL PONT TTORNEYS United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for horizontally moving heavy loads between spaced apart vertical support points, such as for positioning structural members hozizontally between spaced apart vertical supports at considerable heights above ground level, the apparatus comprising: spaced apart first and second vertical support means against which rests each end of a horizontally extending boom with said boom extending horizontally across the distance between said sup-port points at a distance thereabove, respective tackle means supported from spaced apart points along said boom, for moving a load along the longitudinal 25 extent of said boom, said boom and support means constituting a rigid stationary structural assembly relative to said vertical support points while a load is being moved therebetween, said assembly being transferable as a unit to other locations. 0

The present invention relates to apparatus for the lifting, transport and installation of heavy bodies, such as metal lattice trusses, metal or reinforced concrete beams and the like, particularly suited for use in the assembly of structural elements forming bridges, or for the installation of heavy bodies over considerable distances.

It is today well known that for mounting sectionsof a metal bridge onto supporting piers apparatus commonly known as a derrick is used, which derrick generally comprises a metal framework moving on wheels or on slipways, and to which framework is hinged the end of a cantilever-beam supported by cables wound on lifting winches placed inside the framework itself; the other end of the above-mentioned cantilever beam supports a system of cables and pulleys to which is hung the load to be manipulated.

By properly operating the supporting cables of cantilever beam and the supporting cables of the load, one causes the gradual shifting or displacement of the load until it reaches its final destination.

Of course, these mobile and dismantlable lifting devices have characteristics of weight, cost and maneuverability that limit their use to certain well defined load ranges; in fact, the known derricks are generally used for maximum loads of only about a few tons at most and for spanning distances of up to 100 meters, or far a maximum load of tons and a span of 10 meters: for greater lifting requirements very heavy equipment must be used, which is thus economically and functionally undesirable for mobile installations.

In order to solve the problem of moving beams between two piers, so-called blending systems are also used, that is, metal structures consisting of two uprights placed at suitable distances from each other and braced by metal cables; the transport of shifting of the beams being effected either by means of cables and pulleys, as in the case of cableways, or with the aid of two systems of ropes and pulleys operated according to technical jargon in the telegraph manner.

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Blonding systems, however, require anchoring of the uprights each time.

Their use, on the other hand, is most advantageous when they can remain assembled for at least a few months without being shifted, or when they only have to handle loads of merely a few tons, vand, in rare instances, up to 25 tons.

They are, however, quite limited in their use for the assembly of arched bridges.

Thus, an object of the present invention is that of providing apparatus for the assembly of bridges or similar structures, and improved in such a way as to obviate the drawbacks and limitations attendant the known derricks and blonding systems. Yet another object is that of providing apparatus particularly suited for the assembly of beams weighing up to several tens of tons and spanning distances of up to to meters.

Another object is that of providing inexpensive and practical apparatus, advantageously suited for the quick assembly of beams on any type of support, both in a straight lines, as well as for arched bridges.

Furthermore, the apparatus of this invention is designed in such manner as to operate without producing appreciable vertical and horizontal reactions and, above all, without requiring the use of windbracing systems Without the apparatus.

The hereinbefore mentioned objects and advantages are achieved with apparatus of the type described hereunder, which comprises a supporting and controlling framework mounted on rollers, and a truss-beam with cables and pulley in contradistinction to a telegraph system for the shifting of the load, which apparatus, according to the present invention, is characterized in that one end of said truss-beam is movably joined to a hinge, either at the base or at the top of the supporting and control framework by means of a vertical travel along a suitable system of vertical guides equipped with handling cables, while at the other end of said truss-beam is hinged a tiltable support means suited for absorbing all vertical reactions of this end, i.e., for all practical purposes a stand suited for keeping said beam in a substantially horizontal position when the equipment is operating, and, lastly, means for the folding back of said support or stand against the truss-beam during the travel of shifting of the apparatus from one supporting pier to another.

In order to provide a better understanding of the aforesaid apparatus, the invention Will now be described more in detail according to a preferred but non-exclusive form of embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, given purely by way of example and not to be construed as limitative, wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a schematic view of the apparatus according to the present invention, in working position;

'FIG. 2 represents schematically a lateral view of the supporting framework of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 depicts, again schematically, the same appa rains in moving stage between two piers;

FIG. 4 depicts the top part of the framework and an example of the vertical attachments and guides which permit the transfer and hinging operations of the end of the truss-beam, either to the top or to the base of the framework itself;

FIG. 5 depicts a view, rotated through 90, of the device represented in FIG. 4.

With reference to these figures and, in particular, to FIGURES 1 and 2, the above-mentioned apparatus is used for moving a metal beam 1 from supporting pier 2 to the following pier 3, by means of a substantially horizontal translation of the beam 1 itself. The apparatus comprises a supporting framework of known type mounted on rollers and weighted and anchored to beam 4 previously mounted, or to the other suitable zones. Said framework comprises a supporting rectangular base 5, from which rise the fore uprights 6 and 7 (FIGS. 1-2-4) arranged like a stand, while the pair of legs 8 and 9, also converging towards the top, connect the vertex of uprights 6 and 7 to base 5. Furthermore, the framework comprises various operating means (winches) and driving motors for operating the cables and pulleys (tackles) provided for the moving of the beam and for the lifting and lowering, as will be explained more fully hereinafter, of the beam or strut 10.

Further according to this invention, to this framework is removably linked the end of a boom 10 constituted, as in a normal derrick, of a metal trellis suitably constructed to resist the bending stresses caused by the weight itself and by the axial top load caused by the load itself.

Still according to this invention, to the other end of boom 10 are linked two supporting legs 11 and 12 (this latter member not being shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) arranged in the form of a stand the same as uprights 6 and 7, whose apex is linked hingelike to the free end of strut 16. Legs 11 and 12 rest on pier 3. In this manner, the complete structure is very stable and thus permits the shifting of very long and heavy beams. The moving of beam 1 (FIG. 1) takes place by properly operating tackles 13 and 14 via winches placed at the base of the supporting framework.

Moreover, in order to permit a quick and easy shifting of the apparatus from one pier to the next one after the installation of a first beam, a device is provided for the transformation of the double-support structure into one with a single support, such as a normal derrick (FIG. 3). For this transformation (FIGS. 3 and 4), there is provided a device suited for releasing the head of trussbeam 10 from the apex of uprights 6 and 7 and for hinging the beamhead onto the beam connecting the base of the uprights themselves. By means of cable 15, driven by winch 16, it becomes thus possible to lift truss-beam 10 (FIG. 3) and to keep it suspended during the translation of the apparatus along the beam or beams already mounted on piers 2 and 3, until it has reached the next working position; the terminal stand (legs 11 and 12) can be tilted back against truss-beam 10 (see FIG. 3) by means of a cable and maintained thus tilted until the complete apparatus has reached the new working position. Once this position has been reached, the stand is restored to its former position and the beam-head 10 is lifted and linked again to the top of uprights 6 and 7, thus taking up again its horizontal working position.

For the practical realization of the lifting and lowering of the head of the truss-beam, a device is used (FIGS. 4 and which comprises vertical C-shaped guides 17, placed along a certain distance between uprights 6 and 7, and between which guides the head of the truss-beam slides down during the travel of the beam itself from the top of the uprights to their base. At the top, the two wings of the head of the truss-beam 10 are supported on the uprights by a pivot 18 which can be retracted by a jack 18 operated mechanically or hydraulically according to conventional techniques. The jack 18' is supported by a bracket 19, while pivot 18 slides inside a bush 20, which has the function of supporting the supporting cables of the tackle system, even with pivot 18 in a retracted position. A similar pivot and corresponding drawing jack is also provided at the base of the guide 17 for the locking of the head of truss-beam 10 during the moving stage of the entire apparatus.

The lifting and lowering of the head of truss-beam or boom 10 is carried out by means of a winch that operates cable 21 which runs on pulleys 22 and 23. Cable 24 (FIG. 5) is stretched and fixed to the bottom structure of the supporting scaffolding and serves as a guide for the head of the truss-beam 10 during the lowering and lifting operations of the truss-beam itself.

In FIG. 5, 25 marks the pulling cable of tackle 14. Tackle 13 is anchored to the structure via anchoring cables 26.

In practice, according to this invention, it is possible to carry out in a convenient and economical way, and in safety, the installation of 50 ton beams over distances of meters, or of ton beams over a distance of 45 meters, these being the actual maximum performances presently commercially demanded. These performances can easily be altered and increased whenever required.

Obviously, any alternative equivalent constructional modifications and variations may be applied to the invention herein described without thereby falling without the legal scope of the invention itself.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus especially adapted for positioning elongate structural members horizontally between spaced apart vertical supports, comprising: a first and a second spaced apart support means rigidly mountable upon respective ones of horizontally spaced apart vertical supports, a boom extending horizontally between said support means and being rigidly supported thereby, respective tackle means supported from positions adjacent to the top of each said support means, said tackle means being adapted to drag an elongate structural member horizontally along the length of the boom from a position above a one of said vertical supports to a position whereby said elongate member spans the distance between said vertical supports, said boom and said support means constituting a rigid stationary structural assembly relative to a structural member which is being moved, said first vertical support means comprising a movable carriage means whereby said structural assembly is transferable as a unit from any particular location to other locations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said boom is vertical-1y movable along said first support means between upper and lower positions, a rigid structural member on the first support means against which the boom bears downwardly when in said upper position, said rigid member being displaceable transversely to the axis along which the boom is vertically movable whereby said boom can be shifted between said positions, a cable means extending from said first support means to a point along the length of said boom for supporting said boom while it is in a position other than said upper position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said second support means comprises two strut members having corresponding lower ends spaced .apart in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boom and pivotally attached at their upper ends to said boom for pivoting about an axis transverse to said boom axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said rigid structural member comprises a pivot pin, a bushing means in said boom, said pin being retractably engageable in said bushing means whereby said boom can pivot about said pin.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, including a second pivot pin in said support structure at said lower position, said second pin also being retractably engageable in said bushing means whereby said boom can pivot thereabout.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second support means is detacha'bly supportable upon a vertical support and is connected to said boom whereby said structural assembly can be easily transferred between respective locations without dismantling of its respective components.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, especially adapted for positioning elongate structural members between vertical supports which are separated by a body of water or which are at a considerable height above ground level.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said boom bears downwardly upon rigid parts of said first and second support means whereby the load of said boom is transmitted to said vertical supports entirely through the rigid structure of said support means.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said boom is connected at its opposite ends to said first and second sup port means, respectively, through pivot connecting means.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second vertical support means includes lower bearing points for bearing upon a said vertical support, said bearing points being spaced apart from each other in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boom whereby said second support means is self-stable in said plane.

.11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cable means comprises respective cables supported from said structural assembly at horizontally spaced apart points thereon, said cables being adapted to be connected to a common point at one end of an elongate structural member which is to be moved with said cables being adapted to operate together with one letting out while the other is simultaneously hauled in, whereby the end of said structural member is maintained in a horizontal plane extending between the upper ends of the vertical supports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 338,951 3/1886 Graff 2l2-57 1,523,972 1/1925 Johnson 212l'44 1,539,546 5/1925 Deenik 2 1257 1,692,452 11/1928 Kirkham 2l2-'144 1,747,698 2/1930 Clausen 212-57 11,757,150 5/1930 Stoner 212-57 3,027,633 4/1962 Murphy l4-l EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner. 

